Laser Imaging of Turbine Engine Combustion Species (LITECS)

Lead Research Organisation: University of Strathclyde
Department Name: Electronic and Electrical Engineering

Abstract

The ultimate ambition of the proposed research programme is reduced environmental impact of aviation and power generating gas turbine engines. Serious emissions reduction can only come from better understanding and modelling of the combustion and emissions generation processes and the roles of different fuels. Several disruptive chemical and particulate species measurement methods will be developed for detailed combustion zone and exhaust characterisation. These transformational new measurement capabilities will be applied to establishing, for the first, time the spatial and temporal evolution of combustion species and unwanted emissions within the engines. Such measurements will inform new understanding of the combustion and emissions generation processes and enable new technical strategies to ultimately deliver improved engine and fuel technologies for reduced emissions.

Planned Impact

The most significant long term impact for society as a whole will be reduced environmental damage arising from aviation and power generating gas turbine engines (GTEs) manufactured in the UK. This programme will be crucial to reducing emissions from aviation and industrial gas turbine engines (GTEs) and thus to meeting ever more stringent emissions targets. This in turn will help maintain and improve the competitiveness of UK GTE industries with significant impact on the supply chain and the UK economy as a whole. Impact will be ensured through the close involvement of our end user partners, Rolls-Royce and Siemens, both manufacturers of GTEs. Both have committed significant resources to enhance the measurement programmes and advance the technologies towards routine commercial application. In particular Rolls-Royce have committed to partnering the consortium in further funding applications to develop the innovations to higher technology readiness levels (TRL)
Academic impact will arise from the new measurement systems installed at the National Centre for Combustion Aero-thermal Technologies (NCCAT) and the Low Carbon Combustion Centre (LCCC) and measurement programmes carried out there will inform the understanding of of combustion and emissions generation processes. At a more fundamental level, successful spectroscopic measurements require knowledge of the fundamental spectral parameters of the target gases at temperatures experienced in the application. This knowledge does not exist at present and measurement of these parameters will be included in the programme. Our measurements will be submitted to the International HITRAN and HiTemp data bases for use by others far into the future. Furthermore, the novel measurement technologies will have other applications such as in fuel cells, chemical reactors and open flame combustion systems for power generation. Finally, there will be a significant skills legacy in the training of ten PDRAs and about 12 or more doctoral students in areas of advanced instrumentation and GTE combustion systems. There will be extensive engagement with at least two CDTs in Applied Photonics and Future Propulsion and Power.
 
Description Membership of SAE Standards Committee 31 on Aircraft Engine Gas & Particulate Emissions Measurement
Geographic Reach Multiple continents/international 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
 
Description Effects of hydrogen addition on soot formation in flames: experimental investigation by laser imaging - Research Excellence Award (REA) - EPSRC DTP
Amount £72,957 (GBP)
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 05/2022 
End 11/2025
 
Description Laser Imaging of Potassium in Biomass Thermal Processing - Student Excellence Award (SEA) - University
Amount £63,852 (GBP)
Organisation University of Strathclyde 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2022 
End 09/2025
 
Description Joint laser research for instrumentation 
Organisation M Squared Lasers Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Instrumentation research and developments
Collaborator Contribution R & D in Laser systems
Impact None yet
Start Year 2007
 
Description Joint research with University of Edinburgh 
Organisation University of Edinburgh
Department School of Engineering
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Research on Instrumentation for gas turbine engine measurements
Collaborator Contribution Development of Chemical Species Tomographic systems
Impact Joint published Journal article listed in publications
Start Year 2015
 
Description Joint research with University of Manchester 
Organisation University of Manchester
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution University of Strathclyde researchers worked on this project with researchers from University of Manchester
Collaborator Contribution Development of LII instrumentation
Impact Joint publication of Journal article
Start Year 2012
 
Description Joint research with University of Sheffield 
Organisation University of Sheffield
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Instrumentation research for gas turbine engine measurements
Collaborator Contribution Provision and operation of gas turbine engine for instrumentation testing
Impact Joint publications
Start Year 2020
 
Description Joint research with University of Southampton 
Organisation University of Southampton
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution University of Strathclyde researchers worked on this project with researchers from University of Southampton
Collaborator Contribution Development of novel optical amplifiers required for the instrumentation development.
Impact Joint publications in Journals
Start Year 2012
 
Description Project partnership with Optosci Ltd 
Organisation Optosci Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Optosci Ltd worked with the research team and assisted/contributed to the project outcomes
Collaborator Contribution Provisions of TDLS laser source
Impact None as yet
Start Year 2012
 
Description Project partnership with Rolls-Royce PLC 
Organisation Rolls Royce Group Plc
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Rolls-Royce PLC worked with the research team and assisted/contributed to the project outcomes
Collaborator Contribution Knowledge of gas turbine aero-engines
Impact Joint journal publications
Start Year 2012
 
Description Project partnership with University of Loughborough 
Organisation Loughborough University
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Joint research in instrumentation for gas turbine engine measurement
Collaborator Contribution Provision and operation of test beds for new instrumentation testing on combustors
Impact None yet
Start Year 2020
 
Description Research Partnership with Siemens 
Organisation Siemens AG
Department Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Research into instrumentation for gas turbine engine measurements
Collaborator Contribution Joint research partnership and members of the Industry Advisory Group (IAG) and the International Steering Board (ISB)
Impact None yet
Start Year 2020
 
Description iCASE Studentship with National Physical Laboratory 
Organisation National Physical Laboratory
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We engaged NPL to ensure the research outcomes from the LITECS consortium are both robust and traceable. This has allowed NPL to also engage with the commercial partners of the project.
Collaborator Contribution Tom Gardiner from NPL has joined the International Steering Board of the project and is supporting research into both traceable gas sensing for aerospace and also expanding the research into the agriculture
Impact None as yet
Start Year 2021
 
Description Chairing a Special Session in IEEE I2MTC 2022 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This proposed session of "Laser Sensing and Imaging for Techniques and Systems" aims to summarize recent key developments in: a) new laser sensing modalities; b) advanced laser sensor and instrumentation; c) novel imaging schemes, algorithms and systems; and d) new applications. A leading researcher with international excellence in the proposed topic, Prof. Kyle Daun from the University of Waterloo will give an oral presentation at the start of the Special Session to address the state-of-the-art laser sensing and imaging technologies, challenges, and potential solutions.

Prospective authors are invited to contribute to this special session with their research as it pertains to all of the above aspects. Submissions are welcome, but not limited, to the following topics:

? Advanced laser diagnostic modalities, e.g., spectroscopy-, fluorescence-, incandescence-based methods;
? Novel laser-based sensors and imaging systems;
? Effective imaging algorithms and data inversion techniques;
? Two/three/four-dimensional laser-based visualization;
? Intelligent signal processing techniques; and
? New applications of laser sensing and imaging techniques and systems.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Chairing a Special Session in IEEE I2MTC 2024 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This proposed session of "Optical Imaging for Flow-Field Diagnosis" aims to summarize recent key developments in: a) new optical flow-field measurement methodologies; b) advanced optical imaging instrumentation; c) novel imaging algorithms; and d) new applications. A leading researcher with international excellence in the proposed topic, Dr. Samuel J. Grauer, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, will give an oral presentation at the start of the Special Session to address the flow-field optical imaging technologies, challenges, and potential solutions.

Prospective authors are invited to contribute to this special session with their research as it pertains to all of the above aspects. Submissions are welcome, but not limited, to the following topics:

? Advanced optical imaging modalities, e.g., chemiluminescence-, radiations-, spectroscopy-,
fluorescence-, incandescence-based imaging methods;
? Novel flow-field optical sensors and imaging systems;
? High-fidelity imaging algorithms for flow-field visualization;
? Artificial intelligence-aided image processing and inversion;
? New applications of optical imaging techniques and systems in flow-field diagnosis.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
 
Description LITECS overview and initial work presented at the Current Research in Combustion Forum held by the Combustion Physics Group section of the Institute of Physics. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact An overview and update on the LITECS project was given via a presentation to an audience made up of postgraduate students, early career researchers, academics and members of industry. The theme of the forum was current research into combustion and the presentation gave the opportunity for feedback and input on the LITECS project from a wide range of people involved in combustion research.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://iop.eventsair.com/crcf2023